Trader Joe's Checklist

In my first blog post of 2013, I mentioned that I wanted to start making more trips to Trader Joe's and try as many Trader Joe's products as I can. I've been three times so far and I am going to try and write down everything I remember buying from there. Each time I go, I want to purchase new and different things without repeating for the most part! Of course if I really like something, I may repeat. This first one won't be exact because I may not remember everything from my first two trips which were in May and December of last year.

Dark Chocolate Edamame: If you love edamame beans as much as I do, these are the perfect mix of sweet and salty and they make a great snack.

Dark chocolate covered Blueberries: These are just as tasty as the edamame ones but more just a sweet flavor as opposed to salty/sweet.

Fruit Leathers: I bought some of each flavor. These are unsweetened natural dried fruit bars with no added sugar. They come in a variety of flavors including apricot, boysenberry, raspberry and strawberry. They're like a healthy version of a fruit roll-up. I love them.

Freshly shaved Parmesan, Romano and Asiago cheese: I bought this cheese to top a meatball sub but was able to use it for so much more including on top of a burger, to make grilled cheese, and sprinkled on top of tomato soup. The mix of 3 cheeses gives a unique flavor for anything you would put just Parmesan on.

Smoked Gouda Sliced Cheese: Smoked Gouda is my favorite cheese but it's rare to find it in sandwich slices. This has been a great addition to my normal turkey sandwiches as well as was great on top of a burger.

Fresh Lean Burgers: I did add a chipotle rub to them but these were still some of the best burgers I've ever had at home.

Multi-grain Crackers: These crackers are sweet and pair well with an earthy cheese as well as laughing cow swiss spreadables. I think they'd taste great with peanut butter as well.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with brown sugar: I knew I was going to love these. It's my third favorite food wrapped around my second favorite food. I wasn't a hundred percent sure about frozen ones but they turned out great.

Salted yellow tortilla chips: These were delicious and just the right amount of saltiness for tortilla chips.

Cooked Natural Applewood bacon: This bacon is delicious and super easy because it's already cooked. Just pop it in the microwave and enjoy.

Frozen artichoke hearts: Haven't eaten yet.

Herb roasted sliced turkey: This turkey was fantastic. It had such delicious herb flavors and paired well with the smoked gouda.

Ready to eat edamame: Haven't eaten yet.

Roasted garlic marinara: This was one of the best marinara sauces I've ever had. I tried it on a meatball sub as well as on pumpkin ganache and it tasted fantastic on both.

Hearts of Palm: Haven't eaten yet.

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce: Haven't eaten yet.

Hummus Kalamata: I love olives and hummus, put them together and I'm sold.

Mild Red Salsa: This was quite tasty and went well with the salted yellow tortilla chips.

Original Hummus: Trader Joe's has a reputation for making some of the best hummus out there and while they have lots of flavor choices including the kalamata one I mentioned above, their original really shows the true quality of taste in their hummus.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil: I've found multiple lists on Pinterest for things you can do with coconut oil. I look forward to trying them.

Frozen Breakfast Burrito: Haven't eaten yet.

Tofu Firm Organic: Haven't eaten yet.

Lip Balm Virtuoso: This is one of my favorite lip balms I've ever tried. It comes in a 3 pack for a very affordable price. It's spearmint so it tastes great and feels great on your lips.

Candied Ginger: Haven't eaten yet.

Habenero Lime Tortillas: I made some amazing shrimp tacos with these as well as some great turkey wraps.

Mini Edamame Crackers: These were tasty and make a great snack.

Italian Truffle Cheese: This cheese was very earthy. I liked it a lot and it paired well with the multi-grain crackers.

Rye Bread with caraway seeds: I love everything about rye bread. The perfect sandwich was the herb turkey and smoked gouda on this bread. Mmmm!

Beef Rolls Dog Treats: Even Chloe enjoyed the perks of Trader Joe's shopping. Every time I gave Chloe one of these, I had to smell it first. They smelled so good, like beef jerky! Chloe seemed to enjoy them too although she seems to enjoy all dog treats.

A papaya: Fresh fruit is always tasty. I even made a fancy drink out of the hollowed out papaya.

Honey Whole Wheat: Another tasty bread choice for sandwiches.